Mcc Podcast

This week we see another HUGE moment in Acts. The first 12 chapters focus on the work of the Apostle Peter and the church in Jerusalem. But beginning in chapter 13 that focus shifts to the Apostle Paul and the church in Antioch. So this week we will see what God is saying to us about being a witness for Him.

This Sunday is special as we turn a corner with an event in the life of the early church. What we talked about last week, the conversion of Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul) was a major event for the early church, this week is about to be a bombshell. And if this is your first time reading through Acts, you probably won’t pick up on this. And maybe if you’ve read this book many times, it’s possible you still did not pick up the significance.  Today we read about a man named Cornelius who became a disciple of Jesus. And he was a Gentile. The FIRST Gentile convert to the church. And I know we’ve talked about this, but a Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. So for all of you who are gentiles like me, this is a pivotal moment for us.

Eric and our intern Leah talk about the gospel.

Eric and Josh talk about sanctification.

This week, we will continue our study of Acts and early church disciple making. This series has been so fascinating to examine and I am really excited to hear what Mike will share with us about Paul!

Kingdom work. It’s a call for us all. Not just a pastor, not just a select few, but for all who call on Jesus as lord and savior. This week Eric will be diving into Acts chapter 6 and 7 as we learn from an early disciple of Jesus, Stephen, and discover what it looks like for us to proclaim the Gospel and step into Kingdom Work.

The 1st Century Church was a remarkable thing to observe! There are so many things that we can see that marked a pretty discernible difference from then to now. Words like passion, commitment, and sacrifice are prominent in my mind. This Sunday we will be studying Acts 4 together. Please read through it a time or two before Sunday. That chapter's stand out word to me is Courage. We will talk through why. See you then!

We are taking several weeks to look at the church and what the Bible tells us happened when the church started and how that plays out today. Last week I shared that the word that we translate “church” is the Greek word “ekklesia” which means, “the people called to assemble for a specific purpose.” The church, in Jesus’ mind, was never merely a location, it’s always been people who come together for a specific purpose. At MCC we say that we come together to be equipped to Love God, Love People, and Live on Mission. God was about to build a kingdom without borders, and He would call it the church. The Book of Acts is a history of the church written by Luke. And when we want to understand what God intended the church to be, this is where we look. And last week we looked at the church being born and taking its first breath, the first message of the church, 3000 people being baptized. And we were off and running. This week we will see what happened immediately after.

Eric and Chad sit down to talk about the Holy Spirit.

If you missed last week, we have begun a series of messages where we will walk through the book of Acts. We’re calling it Ekklesia.   The Ekklesia means a people called to assemble for a specific purpose. It’s understanding that God gathers us (like on Sundays) so He can send the church into the world, as opposed to the church being a building where we open the doors and expect the world to come to us.   I love that Acts 17:6 (KJV) tells us that the church bought into the idea so much that it had the reputation of turning the world upside down!  So for the next several weeks we are looking at words that describe the kind of church that God sends to turn the world upside down. And last week we saw the beginning of the birth of the church. And Jesus told His disciples to wait for the gift His Father would send. (Acts 1:4). That gift they were waiting on was the Holy Spirit. And in our verses this week, the Holy Spirit shows up! And we see how He sends His Holy Spirit to us today. 

This week Craft sits down with Mike and Rich as they talk through the Essentials For Salvation

The church has not always existed.  I’m not talking about MCC. Did you know that 50 people met in May of 1954 to start MCC?  I’m talking about THE church.   If you go back to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis, the church is not there.  But in all fairness, nothing else is either, except God.  The church is nowhere in the Old Testament.   The church is nowhere in the gospels.   It isn’t until Jesus has gone back to heaven that the church shows up.  And the church turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6 ESV).  We are looking at how God did and does turn the world upside down through the church. We will be settling into the book of Acts, the story of the beginning of the church, to see how God wants to turn our world upside down through us. This week we will begin at the birth of the church in Acts 1.

This week Craft sits down to talk with Mike and Rich about the context of Luke and Acts and how to understand the biblical context!

This Sunday Mike will conclude our Future/Past series. Last week I got to honor and encourage our graduates, and not just them but all of us, about the future and the traps that can catch us and negatively impact our future. This week Mike will help us look back. Just as important as it is to look forward, it’s equally important to have moments where we look back. We’ll see why. And we’ll look back as individuals, as disciples, and as a nation. ____________ Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/

This week, as we celebrate our graduates, we kick off our new series, Future/Past, where we will be looking at what God has for each of our futures as well as why it’s important to remember our past. There are a few times each year where it naturally makes sense to look ahead to the future: January when a new year begins, May when students are graduating, and August when students head back to school and the regular rhythm of life returns after living the summer rhythm of life. However, whenever we get into a conversation around our future each one of us has a few different traps that we can fall into. However as we will find in scripture God has a way for us to escape each of these traps or avoid them all together. ____________ Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/

You’ve probably heard this before but Abraham Lincoln said, “The greatest lessons I’ve learned were at my mother’s knees.” Perhaps you too. But we also want to acknowledge something about this Sunday right out of the shoot. Mother’s Day is not an easy day for everyone. For some because you agree with Abraham Lincoln, your mom was great, but she is gone. Maybe this is your first Mother’s Day without her or maybe it’s been many, but it just hurts, especially on the day set aside to honor moms. Or maybe your mom was not loving, or worse, and today is a very difficult day. Or maybe you’ve tried to be a mom, and can’t. I am so sorry. I want you to know that our hearts are with you. But for those who have or had moms who loved you well, for those of you who ARE moms who reflect well the smile of God to your families, we want to honor you this Sunday. So we will conclude our He Gets Us series with a message about children. ____________ Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of re

This Sunday we will be taking a look at a red hot topic: Justice. Notice I didn’t say social justice? There’s a huge difference between the two. We live in a time that cultural pundits change the meaning of words/phrases. If you don’t define the terms, we could be misled or even worse, you could confuse the people that you are asking God to help you influence. What is God expecting us to do? How can we show love AND tell the truth at the same time. It is not only possible, it’s our job as Christ followers! We will look at the OT book of Micah and the teaching of Jesus in the NT Gospels. ____________ Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/

We seem to be living in an Age of Outrage. Everybody seems mad, and it’s not getting any better. It feels like we’re living in the Divided States of America. And in America these days, Christians are often seen as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. If we aren’t careful, we can get sucked into the mayhem, and we’re just one more angry voice. Is it possible to say that sometimes there are moments when our anger gets the best of us? James reminds us (James 1:20), “Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” Actually, more often than not, it produces the opposite. Our anger very quickly can turn to hatred. And no one wants to be accused of that. Let me ask, what is your emotional response to: “Jesus loves the people we hate?” Jesus walked our earth at a time when hatred was alive and well, so He Gets Us. The real question is, how do we respond in such a way that others see Him living in us? How do we respond, in an age of outrage, in such a way that it helps others get Him

If I asked you to name 3 of your friends, who would come to mind? By the way, Mike is going to ask you that question this weekend. And then he’s going to ask you, “Why do like them? Similar hobbies? Same interests? Personalities? Good sense of humor? Easy going?” Maybe you’ve just always been friends. You know how he asks questions to set up the question he really wants you to think about? That’s what he’s doing here. He really wants you to think through this: “Why do they like you?” What is it that people see in you that they like? Even more: What is it that Jesus sees when He looks at you? This weekend we are going to be reminded that Jesus invites everyone through the story of Matthew. ____________ Make sure to download the Bible App to help you develop a habit of reading scripture: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ Also, join Right Now Media for free as a member of our Church: https://exploremcc.org/right-now-media/

This weekend we are taking what we started last week and turning a bit of a corner with it. Last week we were talking about how we can be Just Like Jesus. This week we’re going to begin a look at how Jesus was just like us. And what that means. And why it's important. And what difference it makes to our culture to hear that He Gets Us. Can this help our culture, which doesn’t know much about Jesus, and who doesn’t have a positive view of the church? How do we let people know Who He is and why they should turn and follow Him? We follow His lead. This Sunday we’ll begin with a question Jesus asked His disciples about Who He is. And this Sunday we will ordain Meghan Fritsch into ministry during our 11:00 service. Meghan has been with us since September of 2017 serving as our Director of Nursery and Preschool Programming. As part time staff she has always gone above and beyond to serve our children, their families, and our volunteers. It is a great honor to get to set her aside for ministry. ____________